Studying the Function of Muscles in the Human Neck

Recording the electrical activity of muscles is one way to study their function, especially as one varies posture or engages in movements. In a series of short papers, we examined how levels of muscle activation vary as a function of head position to draw conclusions about the function of the rectus capitis posterior (RCP) minor and major muscles located in the upper cervical region of the human spine. We found that these muscles act to stabilize a joint by demonstrating that activation in them increases both when the head is retracted and when it is protruded. Follow-up work is underway to explore a clinical application for this knowledge in treating chronic headaches that may result from atrophy of these muscles. 

PI: Professor Richard Hallgren (Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine)   

CSTAT collaborators: Steven J. Pierce, Dhruv B. Sharma